Improvement in directing water upon water-wheels



UNITED i STATES PATENT rrifcn.

MARCIUS B. ASHLEY, OF WATERTOWN, NEW YORK.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 7,522, dated July 30, 1850.

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARGIUS B. ASHLEY, of Vatertown, in the county of Jeerson and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement on Water-W'heels and the Manner of Plumbing the Shafts of the Same; and I hereby do declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the annexed drawings, forming a part of this specification, in whicl1- Figure l is a vertical section. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the tramming collar or box. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the shaftstep and the shaft'boot or collar. Fig. 4 is a` top view of the cover of the wheel with the water-drafts open. Fig. 5 is a top View of the wheel. Fig. 6 is a vertical section of the shaftboot. Fig. 7 is a view of the old shaft-step and cup g in the shaft.

The same letters refer to like parts.

The nature of my invention consists of three parts: first, the providing of a tramming or plumbing collar or box in the interior of the bed or lower stone, whereby the shaft can be plumbed at any time by the miller far more conveniently than by any plan heretofore used; second, the construction and mode of operating the water-gates; third, the collar or boot of the shaft to make it run always on a center and to be easily repaired, &c.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe ts construction and operation.

A is the upper stone or runner.

B is the bed-stone.

C C is the mill-floor.

D is the wheel-shaft'.

E is one side of the water-fiume, and F the bottom planking of the same.

G is the bridge-tree or beam that supports the shaft. On the bridge-tree I secure a saddle z' i on each side, which are united together by a plate 2.

Z Z are bolts or axles, which pass through the saddles and support a box Y Y. This box is supported about half an inch above the plate 2, and the said box is thus arranged and employed for the purpose of holding a supply of water to keep the metal of the running machinery therein cool and to lessen the friction.

X is the step or bearing of the shaft? It is secured in the box ly.

W is a collar, or, as it is technically termed, a boot. It is fixed on the lower end of the shaft and is bored or cast with a recess on its bottom of a true conical shape, as represented in Fig. 6, the center being the apex of the same, and the center of. the shaft is on a line with it. This boot is preferred to be made of composition metal, and it can be placed on and taken oif the shaft with great facility. This boot sits on and revolves on the step X,

which is made of a form to coincide with the cup or conical chamber of the said boot. This form of the step and bootcup' keeps the shaft always truly centered upon its bearing below, and this is a Very important object in gristmills. If the cup of the boot should wear untrue or anything become deranged about it, it can easily be rectified ora new one put in by lowering the bridge-tree by turning the nutwheel S and depressing the step-supporting rod T, thus making the bridge-tree swing down on its swivel-joint at u; but this `part of depressing the bridge-tree -not being new need not be further described. The old plan or the'one in common use is to form a cup of an oval form g in the shaft to run upon the step. When it Wears untrue the whole shaft has to be taken out.

To obviate the employment of extra shafting and gear-wheels, I secure the runnerstone direct to the shaft. ment it is positively necessary that the shaft should always be kept perfectly plumb for grinding. To accomplish this object, I employ a tramming or plumbing collar or box constructed and arranged as particularly represented in Figs. l and 2.

3 is a pivot connected to the shaft D.

4 is a square part of the shaft to receive the driver d, Fig. l.

9 is a cast-iron bush, made with projections l0 on its sides to lit into the hole of the stone, which has recesses to receive the projections; but wooden wedges are employed to key it perfectly true to the stone.

7 7 are four Vertical iianges cast with or made perfectly secure to the bottom of the bush 9. Inside of this outside bush I place my tramming or plumbing collar. It is made of the form of a cross, with an outside shell y or casing 6, made of cast metal, its bottom being also metal, making a box, which is packed with wood 5 5. The shaft Dv passes By this arrangeplumb.

through a central opening in collar or tramming-box, which is fitted nicely laround the said shaft. This tramming or plumbing collar or box is placed around the shaft inside of the outer bush 9, with the set-screws 8 8 passing through the vertical anges 7 7 be.

tween the arms of the tramming-box, pressing against it, as represented in Fig. 2. If the shaft should get out of line or plumb, -it can at once and very easily be trammed v,by the miller by turning any one of more ofthe set-screws 8 for that purpose, the which screws pressing against the tramming-box will make it guide the shaft to the vplumbline. I do'not employ any -gearing to 'get up the speed on the runner, vbut place the stone on the top of the shaft and get up'the Speed on the wheel. It isth'erefor'e positively nec. essary that there should be some convenient,` contrivance and arrangement to enablethe; miller to keep the shaft always perfectly; This I accomplish bymy tramming' box, as described. n

The manner in which I constructand'op erate my water-gates to admit the 'water'to'the wheel is described as follows, reference being; had principally to Figs. l and 4. ,1

J J is the cover-plate of the wheel. (Fig. 5; being a top View of the Wheel, I represents the buckets and V the shaft-plate.)

H H are the openings or drafts to admit the Water to the wheel. They are .formed as represented to receive the water `from the fiume in a perpendicular line from above, but admit it to the wheel at the outer edge of 'the buckets, as represented in Fig. l.

M M are movable gates to increase 'or di-Q minish the diameter of the openings H. The

y openings are now represented fully open.; The gates are composed of fiat plates, each; sliding on part of the wheel-cover and withj upright projecting anges b or side's'convex'` on the inside, as distinctly represented in thedrawings referred to. These gates are re-V tained snugly down by the plates, sliding under small guide-flanges f f.

L L are small arms or pivot-joints which unite the gates M with two tong-levers K K, which-are secured to the cover J by pivotjoints N. The levers K are connected to a wheel P by arms O O Working on pivot-joints.

Qis a vertical rod or axis ofthe wheel P, and by turning the handle R the wheel operates the levers R, which by the arms L move the gates M and increase or diminish the diameter of the said openings. By employing a pinion on the lower end of the rod Q and using racks on the inner sides of the arms 'O'the levers K could be 'operated in the Y ,same'way'to actuate the gates simultaneou sly.

This vsimple manner of constructing and operating the gates is of great advantage to regulate inr the most accurate manner the supply of water to the wheel to give itv a uniform speed. The form of the openings and the ladmission of the `water vvto the outer rim of Vthe 'Wheel applies'the: gravity of the water to that part which will exert the greatest leverage. A plate is made to cover the eye of the stone and forms `a lid to the ltra'rnming-box.y

tained. l

MARCIUS B. ASHLEY.

my invention, I

Witnesses:

SARnIs ALLEN, GEO. SMITH. 

